The conference brings together experts, developers, and enthusiasts of open data for two days of talks, workshops, and discussions. HeiGIT will contribute with several different sessions covering a range of topics.
“Goodbye OSHDB – Welcome ohsomeDB!” – Benjamin Herfort
Friday, November 14, 11:00 AM
We will introduce ohsomeDB, the new successor of the OpenStreetMap History Database (OSHDB). Built on Postgres, PostGIS and Citus, ohsomeDB is optimized for OSM history data and enables fast, scalable analytics on completeness, currentness, and accuracy. It contains all OSM element versions with rich metadata, making common processing tasks more efficient. We will also release the code under an open-source license and present our roadmap to modernize the ohsome API.
“Transparency and Trust in Collaborative Mapping: Concerns and Dilemmas in AI-Generated Road Integration within OpenStreetMap“ – Francis Andorful
Saturday, November 15, 1:30 PM
This talks explores the rise of AI-generated content in OSM, highlighting tensions between efficiency gains of AI-assisted mapping and the foundational values of the OSM project. We examine community calls for transparency, governance challenges, and the difficulty of identifying machine-generated data, rising key questions for OSM´s integrity in an AI-driven future.
“MapSwipe Today and its Future in OSM” – Nicole Siggins with support from Benjamin Herfort
Friday, November 14, 3:30 PM
MapSwipe, the crowdsourcing app supporting OpenStreetMap and humanitarian partners, has evolved from prioritizing satellite imagery tasks to aiding large-scale disaster response. This talk looks at it enabling direct OSM edits, improving validation, and integrating AI. We will discuss implications for data quality, contributor trust and MapSwipe`s role in the OSM ecosystem.
“An academic insight on the functioning of fAIr” – Anna Zanchetta with support from Benjamin Herfort
Saturday, November 15, 11:00 AM
fAIr, HOT´s open-source AI-assisted mapping tool enables users to train local models and map building footprints into OSM. This talk presents research on its performance, comparing two AI models and evaluating how well the latest addition improves results. We highlight where fAIr works well, where it struggles, and what this means for the future of open AI mapping.
“Where are we at with MapTCHA?” – Anna Zanchetta & Bastian Greshake Tzovaras
Saturday, November 15, 2:00 PM
MapTCHA explores using map-feature validation as an image-based CAPTCHA to support OSM. By asking website visitors to confirm machine- or human-drawn building outlines, it could crowdsource validation while serving its usual security function. This talk shares development updates since the first prototype, compares MapTCHA´s validation results with tools like Missing Maps and HeiGITs MapSwipe, and discusses its potential for improving OSM data quality.
“Missing Maps Panel” Sam Colchester (Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team, Benjamin Herfort)
Saturday, November 15, 2:30 PM
This panel brings together Missing Maps members including Médecins Sans Frontières, British Red Cross, HeiGIT and Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team to discuss the use of OSM in humanitarian contexts. The session will address ongoing projects, challenges, and opportunities, with questioo0ns from both the host and the audience.
We are looking forward to insightful discussions and new insights!